Two Historic Firsts On Madden 17 Cover

Rob Gronkowski was announced as the cover star of Madden 17 on SportsCenter Thursday night. The Patriots’ tight end is the latest in a long line of NFL stars to have graced the cover of the pop culture icon of a game.

Gronkowski makes history by being named to the game’s cover. Not only is Gronk the first ever tight end to be the game’s frontman, but he’s also the first ever Patriot to be featured. Pretty surprising considering who’s played quarterback in Foxboro for the last decade plus.

EA Sports decided to forgo the fan vote this year, which had been used since 2010, and selected Gronkowski on their own. Last year Gronkowski came in second in the voting, behind Odell Beckham Jr.

Gronkowski told ESPN:

“I’ve been close to being on the cover of Madden. Last year, I lost to Odell; he’s an excellent player. When I found out that I was truly going to be on the cover, it was a great feeling.

I really didn’t celebrate it. It was a feel-good moment, for sure, to know that you’re going to be on the cover of Madden in the category of so many elite players out there that have been on it before.”